Sitting down for a quiet cup of tea used to be a rare thing for Marg Cox, deputy ambulance chief with Pincher Creek Emergency Services.

But now that she’s had a couple of months to settle into her retirement, and smoke is clearing from the emergencies that disturbed the end of summer in the area, she might just begin to enjoy her newfound freedom.

While First Student generally hosts Stuff a Bus at Ranchland Mall each Christmas — with proceeds going to the local food bank — this year it has challenged Pincher Creek and Lundbreck schools to compete internally, among the different grade levels, for the most non-perishable food donations.